GRAND FORKS, N.D.-- Host North Dakota jumped out to a 10-2 lead and never looked back in an impressive defeat of Portland State, 69-44, Saturday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The win gives UND its fourth winning streak of at least three games and keeps North Dakota ahead of the pack in the league by at least a game and a half midway through the conference slate.

Sophomore Mia Loyd returned to the starting lineup after three games to provide 22 points, six rebounds, a steal and an assist in the win. Senior Madi Buck scored 16 second-half points en route to 18 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists.

It was a comfortable lead from the get-go as UND raced out to that 10-2 advantage. In fact, the North Dakota defense tightened the grip to the tune of just five Viking points through the first 11 minutes as the home team piled up a quick 18-5 margin. UND would go into the break with a hefty 30-13 edge, the final bucket coming on a fastbreak bucket by Emily Evers that put the 1,567 on hand into a frenzy.

North Dakota (14-6, 9-2 Big Sky) kept its foot on the gas in the second frame, going on another 14-5 spurt to start the half to keep the game well out of distance. Evers' second fastbreak bucket came after a steal and a run up the court that saw her beat her defender to the rim and the ball spun in for 29-point lead.

That lead would stretch to as many as 33 before UND handed off the game to its bench and secured its second straight win of 20+ points to start this homestand.

The UND defense churned out 22 Viking turnovers and allowed just 32.7 percent shooting from the floor in the victory. Meanwhile, North Dakota took care of the basketball with just 10 turnovers and again won the rebounding battle, 43-36, its 10th straight game in which it has recorded more boards than its opponent.

Allyssa Wall finished with four points and a team-high eight rebounds to go along with a pair of blocks while Makailah Dyer added 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals for North Dakota.

Portland State (5-15, 3-7) was led by Allie Brock's 18 points, all coming in the second half.

UND continues its four-game homestand next week hosting Weber State Thursday night at the Betty. Tip scheduled for 7:00 p.m.